County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 14,772
$67,361 Median Income
Gulf County, FL Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in Gulf County.
Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
0.98×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%)
1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.
Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (0.98×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Gulf County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Gulf County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 1Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Gulf County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$67.4k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Gulf County ($67,361/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate9.5%Percentage of Gulf County residents without health insurance who rely on self-pay cash discounts and 501(r) nonprofit hospital financial assistance.
Local charity-care income cutoffs (200%–400% FPL): up to $31,920 (single) and $128,600 (family of 4) qualify for free or discounted hospital care.
County Hospital Pricing & Affordability Audit1 of 1 Local Hospitals Priced
Gulf County, FL Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Gulf County, Florida (pop. 14,772) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.98× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $67,361 median household income.
County Price Index: 0.98× Fair MarketMedian Income: $67,361/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Gulf County
- 1 of 1 hospitals in Gulf County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf).
- Local Gulf County households earning up to $31,920 (single) or $64,300 (family of 4) qualify for 200% FPL free charity care at nonprofit hospitals.
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Gulf County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Gulf County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- Hospital outpatient facility fees in Gulf County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
- With a 9.5% local uninsured rate and $67,361 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.9 weeks of typical Gulf County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Florida counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
1 of 1 Hospitals
Includes Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf.
Free Care Income Cutoff (200% FPL)Nonprofit 501(r) Rule
$31,920 – $64,300
Single ($31,920) to Family of 4 ($64,300) threshold for 100% free charity care.
Discounted Care Cutoff (400% FPL)AGB Billing Cap
Up to $128,600/yr
4-person household income cap qualifying for statutory AGB billing limits in Gulf County.
Florida County Price & Affordability Heatmap
49 of 67 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Florida County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 67 counties in Florida
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Broward County17hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $75k
Miami-Dade County14hosps
1.07× Fair
Income $69k
Hillsborough County9hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $75k
Pinellas County9hosps
1.18× Fair
Income $70k
Pasco County7hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $67k
Palm Beach County7hosps
1.28× Fair
Income $81k
Duval County6hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $68k
Volusia County6hosps
1.07× Fair
Income $67k
Brevard County6hosps
2.11× Fair
Income $76k
Polk County5hosps
1.05× Fair
Income $64k
Orange County5hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $77k
Manatee County4hosps
1.13× Fair
Income $76k
Sarasota County4hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $81k
Santa Rosa County3hosps
1.00× Fair
Income $89k
Escambia County3hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $66k
Okaloosa County3hosps
1.32× Fair
Income $79k
Monroe County2hosps
0.74× Fair
Income $82k
Lake County2hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $70k
Flagler County2hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $73k
Clay County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $86k
Hernando County2hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $63k
Charlotte County2hosps
1.26× Fair
Income $66k
Bay County2hosps
1.31× Fair
Income $70k
Alachua County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $60k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 67 total in Florida
All Hospitals in Gulf County (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf · Port Saint Joe CMS CCN 100313 · 24/7 Emergency Services
Compare Procedure Prices Across All Florida Hospitals
View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all Florida facilities.